The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

Loading ...

Loading ...

This story appears in the {{article.article.magazine.pretty_date}} issue of {{article.article.magazine.pubName}}. Subscribe

Startup DogVacay takes the concept of the "sharing economy" and throws it to the dogs. Unlike other companies that help people rent out their houses, like Airbnb, or their cars, like RelayRides and Getaround, Dog Vacay is a marketplace for people to find others to take care of their dogs.

DogVacay, which raised $1 million in seed funding March, has added venture firm Andreessen Horowitz as an investor. The amount was not disclosed. Existing investors include First Round Capital, Science Inc., Ben Ling, Ted Rheingold, Quest Venture Partners and Baroda Ventures. Andreessen Horowitz also last year invested in Airbnb's $112 million funding round.

Launched in March in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the company has "tens of thousands" of users and more than 4,000 hosts, and is now moving into a number of other U.S. cities and Canada. The service is designed to provide a cheaper alternative to kennels, as well as a more friendly environment for four-legged friends.

Dog owners can choose from different host options: some hosts offer 24/7 supervision, while other hosts will go out to work during the day. Some hosts also have other dogs for the guest dog to play with. "Would you rather spend $55 a night to put your dog in a cage with 50 other yapping dogs with not a single person consistently taking care of them?" Hirschhorn says. "Versus $25 a night in a real home with a family and 3 walks a day?"

DogVacay has shades of TaskRabbit and Exec in that sense as well, by providing flexible gigs for people--in this case people who like dogs and have a place to house them. For some hosts, DogVacay is not only a way to make some extra cash but a way to "have" a dog for those can't own a dog full-time. Since there is a living animal involved, there's a premium on providing trustworthy hosts. DogVacay screens all hosts and does reference checks to make sure the hosts are serious and understand how to take care of dogs.

Aaron Hirschhorn and his wife came up with the idea when they had to take a trip and couldn't find a good place to house their dog Rocky. Putting a dog in a kennel to be plaed in a cage was not appealing. So the pair started off with their own "dog boarding" business taking care of other peoples' dogs. After the business took off, Hirschhorn's wife quit her job to join him in the business. "We stumbled on to something bigger than watching puppies," he says. "We have bigger dreams here of creating a nationwide alternative to kennels."

As for local laws, Hirschhorn says the company works with users to make sure they're following local laws. In general, Hirschhorn says, as long as you have less than three dogs you aren't considered a business that requires licenses, he says. DogVacay takes a 5-10% fee from hosts. The more hosts work on the service, the lower the rate they have to pay.